Camera systems for waste collection trucks

Refuse trucks stop and start along every street, next to pedestrians and cyclists, and the driver can't see all of them.

See the camera layout

The short answer

A refuse truck needs four camera views: the road, the cab, the kerb side and the rear hopper. A compact 4-channel MDVR such as the WD12 records all four in 1080p to two SD cards, with a BSD camera for the kerb-side blind spot and a driver-monitoring camera for fatigue and distraction.

Camera views: 4
Recorder: WD12 MDVR
Storage: Dual SD, up to 512 GB

What goes wrong, and what video changes

Stop-start work beside people
A collection round is stop-start work beside pedestrians and cyclists. A kerb-side camera covers the zone the driver cannot see in the mirrors.
Crew at the rear
Loaders work behind the vehicle, out of the driver's direct view. A camera over the hopper shows and records the rear working area.
Damage and service claims
Video with time and GPS position shows whether a street was served and what the truck did or did not touch.

Recommended camera layout

A compact 4-channel MDVR covers the cab, the kerb side and the rear hopper, with blind-spot and driver-monitoring cameras.

Camera layout for waste collection
Position	Equipment	What it covers
Windscreen, facing the road	ADAS Camera	The road ahead, with forward-collision and lane-departure warnings
Cab, facing the driver	AHD005 DSM Camera	Fatigue and distraction
Kerb side of the body	BSD Camera	Pedestrians and cyclists alongside the truck
Rear, over the hopper	Exterior AHD camera	The loaders' working area and reversing
Dashboard, optional	In-cab monitor on the WD12's CVBS output	A live rear or side view for the driver

What this setup gives you

Kerb-side blind-spot alerts
Rear hopper recording
Idle and over-speed alerts

How ADAS, DMS and BSD alerts work

Products in this setup

Storage and mobile data

How long footage is kept

This setup records 4 × 1080p, about 7.2 GB an hour at standard quality. On 512 GB of SD storage, the most the WD12 takes, that is roughly 66 hours of recording before the oldest footage is overwritten, or about 130 hours in H.265, which the WD12 supports.

Storage calculator

How much 4G data it uses

Recording uses no mobile data. Tracking uses about 17 MB a month at a 30-second interval. Watching all 4 cameras of this setup on the sub-stream for an hour uses about 160 to 240 MB. A 15-second event clip is about 5.6 MB at 720p or 7.5 MB at 1080p.

4G data calculator

Before you order

The WD12 measures 120 × 120 × 46 mm, so it fits cabs where a full-size recorder will not.
It runs on 9–36 V, with reverse-polarity and short-circuit protection, and draws under 12 W without cameras.
BSD is an option on the WD12. Tell us you need it when you request a quote.
JT/T 808, JT/T 1078 and GB/T 28181 support lets the WD12 report to a platform you already use, as well as to Traqcare.

Refuse truck camera questions

How many cameras does a refuse truck need?

A refuse truck needs four cameras: the road, the cab, the kerb side and the rear hopper. A truck that loads from both sides needs a fifth, which means a WD10 recorder in place of the four-input WD12.

Can the driver see the rear camera while reversing?

Yes. The WD12 has a CVBS video output that drives an in-cab monitor, so the driver can watch the rear or side camera.

Can the system connect to our existing fleet platform?

If the platform uses JT/T 808 with JT/T 1078, or GB/T 28181, the WD12 can report to it. It also works with the Traqcare app and web platform.

How long is footage kept on the truck?

Four cameras recording 1080p use about 7.2 GB an hour, so 512 GB of SD storage holds roughly 66 hours before the oldest footage is overwritten. H.265 doubles that, and 720p on the side and rear cameras adds about 14% more.

Guides for this fleet

Not sure which camera fits your fleet?

Tell us your vehicles and what you need to see. An engineer recommends a setup, usually within 2 hours.

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